Collaboration Highlights from Springdale Schools
This spring, the Arkansas Environmental Education Association (AEEA), Beaver Water District (BWD), and Illinois River Watershed Partnership (IRWP) teamed up to bring hands-on, water-focused professional development to early childhood educators in the Springdale School District. It began with a small group of educators in 2024 who spent two days exploring local water resource centers—BWD and IRWP—and engaging in fun, interactive activities from Getting Little Feet Wet, an early childhood curriculum guide from Project WET (Water Education Today). The program combines science, play, and environmental education in ways that are meaningful and age-appropriate.
The educators loved it, and their feedback inspired the district’s early childhood principal to invite AEEA and partners back to work with all early childhood educators in the district in 2025. During the expanded training, teachers toured both water facilities, earned professional development hours, received their own curriculum guides, and learned how to bring water education into their classrooms in engaging and age-appropriate ways. The response was overwhelmingly positive. You can watch a short video of the workshop on BWD’s YouTube channel.
These workshops were made possible through the power of our partnerships. BWD and IRWP provided not just facilities and tours, but also local expertise, educational supplies, and facilitators who helped bring the science of water to life. By working together, we are creating high-quality, meaningful learning experiences that ripple outward—from educators to students, and ultimately to the broader Northwest Arkansas community.
We are excited about what’s ahead and hopeful for more opportunities to collaborate with Springdale and other school districts across the region. When we invest in teachers, we invest in students—and in a more water-wise future for all.